Private Lunch with Red Balloon Founder

Private Lunch with Red Balloon Founder

Although Sydney’s George Street has plenty of fabulous restaurants to choose from, it’s fairly uncommon for a Tasmania-based personal travel manager (PTM) to pop over for lunch – but that’s exactly what Kirsty Whittaker, TravelManagers’ representative for Margate, TAS, did recently.

It may seem an extravagant indulgence at first glance, but the lunch was Kirsty’s reward for winning a Crooked Compass incentive that was announced at TravelManagers’ annual National Conference in Darwin last year: a private lunch date at Indu Restaurant with Red Balloon founder, Naomi Simson, and hosted by Crooked Compass founder, Lisa Pagotto.

“The opportunity to pick their brains was amazing,” says Kirsty. “Both Lisa and Naomi started their own successful businesses from home, so they were able to offer some valuable insights into keeping focus, outsourcing, making the right choices that work for you and your business, and the challenges of time management from a home-based business/family perspective.”

TravelManagers’ Executive General Manager, Michael Gazal, says the lunch was one of many events held each year as part of a business philosophy that places priority on seeking and providing new and innovative opportunities for PTMs’ self-development.

“Our annual National Conference is an integral part of a broader annual programme of activities and events that are designed to support PTMs in their businesses,” he explains.

Kirsty says one of the most important messages she took away from the lunch was the importance of being present in everything she does: being dedicated to each task at hand rather than juggling.

“Over the two hours we spent together, Lisa and Naomi graciously answered all my questions, and we even managed to squeeze in a little Shark Tank gossip – it was a surreal experience!”